


Breathe

by harrycrewe



Category: Star Trek (2009)
Genre: M/M, Schmoop
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-03-18
Updated: 2012-03-18
Packaged: 2017-11-02 04:32:00
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 487
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/364996
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/harrycrewe/pseuds/harrycrewe
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Posting more old kinkmeme fills.  This ones is from the Buckle Up meme:</p><p>Prompt: Jim asking Joanna for Bones' hand in marriage. Preferably a young (5-10 year old) Joanna. AOS/Reboot.</p><p>http://buckleup-meme.livejournal.com/5309.html?thread=357565#t357565</p>
            </blockquote>





	Breathe

It's a perfect Georgia autumn day, humid but mild, when they walk out past the lake. The sky is perfectly blue, deep orange dirt under foot, and Len just feels happy in a way he hasn't for a long time. He and Jim go slowly, their fingers interlaced at the tips. Joanna skips ahead of them, runs back, every time with a rock or a leaf or something new to show them. She smiles so easily, loves so much, that it makes his heart hold his breath. He knows he won't always be able to protect her from every bad thing in the world, but lord he wishes and lord he will try. 

His father used to lift him in the air and swing him down low. Len remembers how it left him gasping with joy, how much he loved his father then. He knows it would be hard for Joanna now to imagine her dad as a small boy, but he still is, somewhere, deep down. When he remembers how painful, when his own dad went away – that moment is with him as well. Somewhere he is meeting, for the first time, the people he cares most for in this world – somewhere they are parting. Somewhere he is kissing Jim’s forehead, grown creased with laughter, and holding him close and just hoping their tired old bodies can hold out a little longer. 

Jim glances at him and smiles, and don’t those clear blue eyes just knock the wind right out of you. It makes Len smile back before he knows what he's done. This moment, he thinks, the grass brushing by his legs, the breeze, Joanna and Jim's smile, this moment is always somewhere too. 

Jim squeezes his fingers apologetically before breaking away. Len stands and watches him jog off into the trees towards Joanna. He hopes they won’t get into the poison ivy together, can’t bring himself to worry much either. He closes his eyes, lifts his face to catch the sun. 

A little while later, Joanna is tugging on his hand. 

“Daddy, daddy!” 

He blinks down at her. “What is it, sweetheart?”

She’s cupped something in her hands, like a precious bird. 

“Look what I found!” 

“I can’t see, darlin’. You’ve got to show me.”

He bends way over, takes her two small hands in his. Jim is coming up behind her, but stops, like he’s almost hesitant.

When his face is level with Joanna’s, she leans and rubs her cheek against his stubble. “Ick, Daddy!” 

She opens her palm, hands him a simple ring, with a scrap of paper rolled inside. Len takes it from her and reads the note.

Then he smiles again, and digs down in his own pocket, towards that little box that has been waiting for days. He hands it to her daughter, hopes she’ll hold on tight.

“Go over and give this to Jim,” he whispers to her.


End file.
